Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) describes a system in which plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) sell demand response services to the grid. Demand services are either delivering electricity to the grid or reducing the rate of charge from the grid. Demand services reduce the peaks in demand for grid supply, and hence reduce the probability of disruption from load variations. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) are related, but the AC phase is not synchronised with the grid, so the power is only available to "off-grid" load.
A charging station, also known as a charge point, chargepoint, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a power supply device that supplies electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles.
An electric vehicle charging network is an infrastructure system of charging stations to recharge electric vehicles. The term electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) may refer to charging stations in general or the network of charging stations across a nation or region. The proliferation of charging stations can be driven by charging station providers or government investment, and is a key influence on consumer behaviour in the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles. While charging network vendors have in the past offered proprietary solutions limited to specific manufacturers, vendors now usually supply energy to electric vehicles regardless of manufacturer.
ChargePoint is an American electric vehicle infrastructure company based in Campbell, California. ChargePoint operates the largest online network of independently owned EV charging stations operating in 14 countries and makes some of its technology.
SAE J1772, also known as a J plug or Type 1 connector after its international standard, IEC 62196 Type 1, is a North American standard for electrical connectors for electric vehicles maintained by SAE International under the formal title "SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J1772, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler".
ECOtality, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, was an electric transportation and storage technologies company. ECOtality was the parent company of ECOtality North America, Innergy Power Corporation, Fuel Cell Store and ECOtality Australia Pty Ltd.
CHAdeMO is a fast-charging system for battery electric vehicles, developed in 2010 by the CHAdeMO Association, formed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and five major Japanese automakers. The name is an abbreviation of "CHArge de MOve" and is derived from the Japanese phrase "o CHA deMO ikaga desuka" (お茶でもいかがですか), translating to English as "How about a cup of tea?", referring to the time it would take to charge a car.
The Combined Charging System (CCS) is a standard for charging electric vehicles. It can use Combo 1 (CCS1) or Combo 2 (CCS2) connectors to provide power at up to 350 kilowatts (kW) . These two connectors are extensions of the IEC 62196 Type 1 and Type 2 connectors, with two additional direct current (DC) contacts to allow high-power DC fast charging. In response to demand for faster charging, 400 kW CCS chargers have been deployed by charging networks and 700 kW CCS chargers have been demonstrated.
The IEC 62196 Type 2 connector is used for charging electric vehicles, mainly within Europe, as it was declared standard by the EU. Based on widespread red IEC 60309 three phase plugs with five pins, which come in different diameters according to maximum current, a single size was selected, as maximum possible power will be communicated to the car via two additional communication pins and by a simple resistor coding within the cable. The onboard charger inside the car has to limit the current accordingly.
EVgo Inc. is an electric vehicle fast charging network in the United States, with more than 950 charging locations as of August 2023. The company's charge stations are located in 35 states and are compatible with all major auto manufacturers.
Chargemaster Limited is a supplier of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, based in Milton Keynes, England. It provides charging units for home, business and public use, and operates its own electric vehicle fast charging network.
ISO 15118Road vehicles -- Vehicle to grid communication interface is a proposed international standard defining a vehicle to grid (V2G) communication interface for bi-directional charging/discharging of electric vehicles. The standard provides multiple use cases like secure communication, smart charging and the Plug & Charge feature used by some electric vehicle networks.
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Australia is driven mostly by state-based electric vehicle targets and monetary incentives to support the adoption and deployment of low- or zero-emission vehicles. The monetary incentives include electric vehicle subsidies, interest-free loans, registration exemptions, stamp duty exemptions, the luxury car tax exemption and discounted parking for both private and commercial purchases. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, energy providers, car loan providers and car insurance providers also offer their own financial incentives for electric vehicle purchases including Macquarie Bank offering the lowest electric car loan of 2.99%.
Pod Point is a UK provider of electric vehicle charging station. It provides charging units for home, business and public use. Since forming in 2009, Pod Point has manufactured and sold over 220,000 charging points. It has also developed one of the UK's largest public networks, connecting EV drivers with charging stations nationwide at locations such as Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Center Parcs and Southern Rail. Since 2014, when it signed a partnership with automaker Nissan, it also operates in Norway.
Electrify America, LLC is electric vehicle DC fast-charging network in the United States, with more than 900 stations and over 4,000 DC fast charging connectors as of December 2023. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, established in late 2016 by the automaker as part of its efforts to offset emissions in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Volkswagen, as part of its settlement following the "Dieselgate" emissions scandal, invested $2 billion in creating Electrify America. In June 2022, Siemens became a minority shareholder of the company. Electrify America supports the CCS and CHAdeMO connector types with plans to add NACS connectors starting in 2025. Electrify America has been the target of significant criticism for the perceived lack of reliability and maintenance of its stations.
Electrify Canada is a corporation formed by Electrify America and Volkswagen Group to build electric vehicle (EV) direct current (DC) charging infrastructure in Canada.
The Megawatt Charging System (MCS) is a charging connector under development for large battery electric vehicles. The connector will be rated for charging at a maximum rate of 3.75 megawatts.
Gridserve Sustainable Energy Limited, stylised as GRIDSERVE, is a British company founded in 2017 to develop, own and operate critical infrastructure for sustainable energy production. Gridserve opened the UK's first all-electric car charging forecourt in 2020, with the second opening in April 2022 and plans to introduce several more in the coming years to charge electric vehicles with 100% renewable energy, supporting the UK's transition to carbon neutrality. The company capitalises its name.
Blink Charging Co. is an American electric vehicle charging network operator headquartered in Miami Beach, Florida. A smaller EV charging network in the United States, it has over 51,000 chargers globally.
PlugShare is a mobile and web application which provides information on the location and details of charging stations for electric automobiles. The application was developed and continues to be maintained by Recargo, Inc. - which has been a part of EVgo Inc. since mid-2021.
